India jumps to second-largest seafarer supplier worldwide

India has become the world's second-largest supplier of seafarers, according to the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026, contributing 311,936 maritime professionals and accounting for 12.16% of the global seafaring workforce. The country now ranks behind only the Philippines, ahead of China, Russia and Indonesia.

The rise marks a sharp turnaround for India's maritime sector. In 2015, India contributed just 5.2% of the world's seafarers and ranked fifth globally. By 2021, that share had grown only modestly, to 6%, with India still in fifth position. The 2026 report records a more decisive shift, with India's global share more than doubling over the past decade.

India's strength was particularly evident among officers. The country supplied 140,718 officers, accounting for 13.41% of the world's officer workforce, while 171,218 ratings represented 11.29% of the global ratings pool serving aboard merchant vessels. The report estimated the global supply of seafarers at 2.57 million against demand of 2.55 million, pointing to a tightening labour market and a continuing shortage of qualified officers worldwide.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways attributed the growth to over a decade of reforms, including expanded maritime education and training capacity, modernised training infrastructure, digitised seafarer certification through the Directorate General of Shipping, and stronger compliance with international Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping (STCW). Since 2021, the government has also enacted a series of new maritime laws, including the Merchant Shipping Act, Indian Ports Act, Coastal Shipping Act, Bills of Lading Act and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, all passed in 2025, aimed at modernising maritime governance and aligning India's shipping laws with international conventions.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the growth reflected sustained investment in maritime training and infrastructure over the past twelve years. He added that the government is now pursuing what it calls Mission 20%, a target to raise India's share of the global seafaring workforce from 12.16% to 20%, with the aim of having one in every five seafarers worldwide be Indian. The push includes expanding shipboard training opportunities, strengthening industry-academia partnerships, and encouraging more women to pursue careers at sea.

The government said India's expanding maritime training ecosystem and progressive regulatory framework positioned the country to meet future global demand, in line with its broader Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 roadmaps.